The latest weapon in that battle might be a computer algorithm known as K* (pronounced "K-star"), which is capable of predicting MRSA's next move, according to findings published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The team modeled mutations in an MRSA enzyme called dihydrofolate reductase [DHFR], which is targeted by several drugs. Almost every living thing has a version of DHFR, because it helps turn folic acid into thymidine, the "T" among the DNA nucleotides.

The K* algorithm helped the researchers find DHFR mutation candidates that would be able to block new antibiotics. This knowledge could be incorporated into a drug-design strategy -- anticipating how bacteria would mutate to fight antibiotics, and designing antibiotics around those predicted mutations.

Study authors intend to provide their algorithm freely and publish the open-source software they devised, according to a Duke release.